Sounds pretty much like a breakaway series if FOTA doesn't chicken out at the last minute. Ferrari and Red Bull will have lengthy court sessions due to the contracts though if they decide to go ahead. Anyway, if next year's F1 will consist of only Williams, Force India and GP3 teams, then I don't see what hope F1 would have anymore. Most people want to stick with the same star drivers and top teams.

Nazi orgy F1 ruining gang wrote:FOTA says, "The new rules dumb down the sport". Not so, the 2009 regulations introduced greater technical freedom in several areas. The 2010 Regulations will allow even greater freedom. Compare this with the FOTA proposals: almost no testing, no KERS, homologated gearbox, homologated bodywork, limitations on factory activities, enforced shutdowns and so on.

Bernie needs to sort this out, this is getting ridiculous. I don't believe what each side is saying, they're both lying to get the public on their side. Bernie holds the real power in the sport, he won't let F1 split apart but for god's sake the teams and the FIA better get this sorted out quickly.

Formula 1 will be split apart sadly. I see Toyota and Renault leaving the sport, only to give Briatore an opportunity to hand over Renault team. Then, 7 teams with maybe another candidate teams will establish a new series, in which 3 cars of each team will race. Or they may take a sabbatical year to organize a much better series. I don't see in these circumstances any of parties will step back. This is not all about Formula 1 at all, this is all about power.

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying" -Woody Allen

What's crucial is what will Ferrari do. The other teams can't organize a breakaway championship without Ferrari, but FIA & F~0~M will do everything to ensure Ferrari's contract is as proof as it can be. Everyone's gone so far now that it'd be surprising if they backed down now. They had a chance to have a compromise but it didn't seem to work out.

The introduction of a medal system was simply the FIA's response to a McLaren winning. Their desire for Ferrari's dominance is as damaging as it is illogical. F1 lost tens of thousands of fans during the reign of Schumi and yet the FIA is still behind them. Even worse is this budget cap, F1 is being pulled apart from the inside. The teams have zero say in anything whatsoever. Why shouldn't the person in charge of F1 be chosen by F1 and not by some old, wrinkly, bowl-hair-cutted, Britton.

The Formula One Team's Association (FOTA) has sent a letter to the FIA calling for urgent compromise in the row over next year's rules to prevent the possibility of a breakaway series.

According to a report from Reuters news agency, the teams have offered to sign up to a version of the proposed budget cap, with provisos included, and have asked to extend the entry lock-off deadline to July 1 to allow time for further negotiations and sign a new Concorde Agreement.

"The time has come when, in the interests of the sport, we must all seek to compromise and bring an urgent conclusion to the protracted debate regarding the 2010 world championship," Reuters quoted the letter as saying.

"We hope that you will consider that this letter represents significant movement by the teams, all of whom have clearly stated a willingness to commit to the sport until the end of 2012.

"We would therefore strongly but respectfully submit that you consider these proposals and seek to avoid the potential departure from Formula One of some important teams.

"Now is the time to find a reasonable and rapid solution to the outstanding issues."

FOTA says in the letter that its teams could sign up to a version of the budget cap, or what it calls the 'resource restriction proposal' so long as it is independently policed and universal for all. In return for accepting this compromise the current teams would assist new entries with engine supplies and technical assistance.

"We detect... that a solution might be possible based on the FOTA resource restriction proposal but with measures introduced," the letter said.

"We would propose in this respect that we nominate a top firm of independent accountants who will devise an audit methodology that will be implemented by all of the teams.

"This methodology and the annual results would be disclosed to the FIA... we can see no reason why such a system based on objective verification of compliance would not be acceptable to all parties."

isherbin wrote:The introduction of a medal system was simply the FIA's response to a McLaren winning. Their desire for Ferrari's dominance is as damaging as it is illogical. F1 lost tens of thousands of fans during the reign of Schumi and yet the FIA is still behind them. Even worse is this budget cap, F1 is being pulled apart from the inside. The teams have zero say in anything whatsoever. Why shouldn't the person in charge of F1 be chosen by F1 and not by some old, wrinkly, bowl-hair-cutted, Britton.

haha! off topic though ... If they had that desire this situation wouldn't have arise

Its sad to see FOTA's softening stand but still clear 'no' to budget cap.

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FIA president Max Mosley says there will be no backing down on his insistence that Formula 1 teams lift the conditions attached to their entries within 48 hours, but has hinted that a compromise could now be on the cards.

Following a letter from the Formula One Teams' Association to Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, viewed as a last ditch effort to avert teams walking away from the sport, the FIA laid out the terms by which it would accept a deal.

Although rejecting suggestions that the deadline for the matter be delayed from this Friday to July 1, and that standard engine supplier Cosworth be forced to detune its engines, the FIA says it would be willing to talk about governance changes and revisions to the cost cap.

In the letter, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT, Mosley said there was no chance of a revised Concorde Agreement being sorted before Friday - so the 1998 version would have to be used as an interim.

"If we start to modify the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement, a lengthy discussion will begin," he wrote. "There is no time left for this because we must answer the remaining applicants for 2010 no later than Friday."

He added: "Our proposal is therefore that all parties agree to accept the 1998 governance provisions by means of an exchange of letters. We can then negotiate a new 2009 Concorde Agreement under the protection of the 1998 arrangement.

"After all, we lived with these for ten years; a few more weeks or months should not cause any difficulty."

Regarding FOTA’s suggestions that independent accountants be appointed to oversee compliance with a budget cap, Mosley said that such an idea had already been suggested by the governing body.

Furthermore, he wants the teams to accept the £40 million limit for now, prior to further discussions that could see it changed in the next few weeks.

"A fundamental problem with the FOTA proposal was the absence of a clear figure," wrote Mosley. "The teams need to know what the constraints are, so do we.

"We therefore propose that you accept the 2010 rules, as published, which we agreed with you last year. If necessary, these can be revised with the above governance procedures in due course."

Mosley confirmed that there would be no two-tier regulations in 2010, which had been one of the biggest complaints of FOTA.

However, he said that Cosworth would be allowed to run to 2006 regulations because it had "neither the time nor the resources to return for 2010."

And in a bid to get the matter sorted in the next day or so, Mosley said he would write to the teams to ask them to accept the FIA’s offer so they could drop the conditions attached to their entries before Friday's deadline.

"We will shortly send a letter for signature to each team. If signed and returned, the letter will make the above proposals legally binding and the relevant team's entry unconditional," he said.